Classic Cullman 2017 - Page 68

sit a spell / Classic Cullman
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home surrounded by 34 acres.
the cullman times, benjamin bullard
Misty jokes as she hurries past.
The Blaylocks didn’t build their house.
They stumbled across it — and the 34
acres on which it sits — at the right
time. Another Cullman family had
planned and built the home, says Misty.
But just as that family was moving
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house, they reevaluated their priorities,
decided they didn’t need so much house
— and put the home up for sale.
“Wilson was wanting a place where we
could spread out and bring all his farm
equipment in to one place. I said, ‘Well,
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already a house, maybe I’ll consider
it,’” says Misty.
“So we were riding around one Sunday afternoon, and we came up on this
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neither the barn nor the house. We
couldn’t tell if anybody was even living
in it. We stewed on it and stewed on
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house again. And the owner was home,
and she came to the door.
“Right after that happened, I was scheduled to go on a trip with my college
girlfriends — and when I came back,
Wilson had moved into the house. It
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even have to buy any furniture. All the
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the folks we bought the house from just
built a different place across the road.
Now we’re all neighbors!”
In many ways, the Blaylocks’ house is
just a backdrop for what they’re really
passionate about: being outdoors and
enjoying their property. Separate from
the main house is a horse barn, housing stables, a loft area, and an attached
retreat where Wilson escapes to a deFLGHGO\PDVFXOLQHRIʏFHORXQJHRQKLV
free weekends.
“You can tell we’re all hunters,” Misty
says, scanning the walls of Wilson’s
lodge-themed retreat. Whether there or
back inside the main house, sporting
life is a conspicuous part of the decor.
Deer, pheasant, raccoon, cape buffalo,
the aforementioned kudu — even a
lion: if it can be hunted, there’s a good
chance someone in the Blaylock family
has done it. Will’s into duck hunting;
Wilson goes for the rare and sometimes
dangerous game.
“But,” says Misty, “Wilson’s real
‘other’ hobby is horses. That’s part of
the reason we got this place. Instead of
playing golf or tennis, he likes to deal
in Tennessee walking horses. We go
trail riding a lot together, as a matter of
fact. It’s funny, because I used to ride
a lot growing up, and then I quit. But
when I married him, I had to start all
over again!”
Horses are only part of the story,
though. Will raises goats on the property, and Misty’s hobby is Hereford cattle.
“My family is in the Hereford business
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moved out here, my daddy told me that
the only thing we needed to make this
place complete were some of his cows.
So I started out with six. We’ve been
living here for close to nine years, and
now I’m up to twelve cows. So I guess
I’m making progress!”
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8/31/2016 10:36:18 AM